Maszlee ‘least popular minister’

Updated 4 years ago · Published on 22 Nov 2019 10:00AM · 10 Comments

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik has upset many Malaysians with decisions on teaching khat in vernacular schools and black shoes ruling. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, November 22, 2019.

DR Maszlee Malik is the most unpopular member of the cabinet, an online poll by The Malaysian Insight shows.

In an eight-hour survey asking readers to pick which minister should get the boot, the education minister received 12,034 votes, followed closely by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy with 11,634 votes.

The online poll follows an announcement by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday that he will consider reshuffling the cabinet following Pakatan Harapan’s crushing defeat at last week’s Tg Piai by-election.

Dr Mahathir said this after chairing a supreme council meeting of his Bersatu party where it was understood that the members demanded a cabinet reshuffle.

The reshuffle will only happen after he has studied and observed the achievements of the existing ministers, Dr Mahathir said.

Maszlee has made several unpopular decisions in his short stint, beginning with his mandatory black shoes ruling for pupils.

This, however, paled in comparison to his proposal to introduce Jawi in vernacular schools, which caused an uproar, including threats from Indian and Chinese groups to boycott school.

He also angered the Chinese and the Malays with his handling of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) issue.

Waytha, meanwhile, has earned disapproval for not doing much as the de facto unity minister to curb the racial and religious sentiments running high in the country.

Also deeply unpopular was Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who with 11,626 votes was only eight votes behind Waytha.

Syed Saddiq is perceived to be trying too hard to emulate his popular predecessor, Khairy Jamaluddin.

The other three cabinet members who collected more than 10,000 votes were minister in charge of Islamic affairs Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (10,488), Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali (10,118) and Human Resources Minister M. Kula Segaran (10,158).

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is also unpopular with 9,123 votes. His deputy, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, received 8,383 votes.

She is less unpopular as the women, family and community development minister, with 6,635 votes.

Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu, Khalid Samad, Zuraida Kamaruddin and Teresa Kok each garnered more than 9,000 votes.

Ministers who scored below 9,000 votes were Liew Vui Keong (6,230), Muhyiddin Yassin (6,089), Darrel Leiking (5,434), Dr Xavier Jeyakumar (6,547), Anthony Loke (5,596), Salahuddin Ayub (6,395), Mohamadin Ketapi (7,848), Saifuddin Abdullah (5,370), Redzuan Othman (8,810), Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (6,075), Rina Harun (7,594), Baru Bian (6,198), Yeo Yee Bin (5,659) and Gobind Singh Deo (6,290).

The most likeable minister in terms of fewest votes for his removal was Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad with 4,683 votes.

Comments from voters were not positive either. The majority wanted all the ministers to be replaced for underperforming.

Some also called for Parliament to be dissolved while others said PH had failed to fulfil its manifesto.

PH, which took over the federal government in May 2018, has yet to deliver all of its election promises. It has abolished the goods and services tax (GST) but not tolls nor has it written off the higher education study loans (PTPTN) as pledged. – November 22, 2019.

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Comments

  • celaka kasut hitam bersatu hehehe

    Posted 4 years ago by Astann astann · Reply

  • syed saddiq despite having achieved a lot eh.

    Posted 4 years ago by Khalid Raffali · Reply

  • Well it looks like we only need to keep the good Dr Dzulkefly on the cabinet and sack all the others displayed in the chart. May be, just may be then, we would have a government that actually takes reforms seriously.

    Posted 4 years ago by Michael Raj · Reply

  • Afraid to say that his incompetence exceeds hos unpopularity. Tun M put him there to serve his agenda which is to introduce measures popular with the country's majority to distract them from UMNO/PAS. Even though those education policies do not improve education at the end of the day.

    Posted 4 years ago by Panchen Low · Reply

  • If the people have a choice they will remove 3/4 of the cabinet ministers. All not up to par.

    Posted 4 years ago by Elyse Gim · Reply

  • I totally agreed that Maszlee is the worst minister. The faster he steps down the better

    Posted 4 years ago by Charis W · Reply

  • This is a sotong seller-not only his face, but his prawn brain. This is the trouble when Malaysian universities hand out PhDs-600 a year. I want to laugh, can use as toilet paper. How can we improve when the most important ministry has at its helm an IDIOT. This man is Mahathir's side kick-who will promote the tudung, black shoes and the study of Malay language. The latter is okay for nationalism but the Malay language is not an international language. We should push to regain our lead in SEAsia in the English language ( How sad the older Malaysian population speak better english than the younger ones).All the politicians send their children overseas for better education, but local Malays, Chines, Indians are compelled to study locally in 3rd rate schools. This JACKass must go.
    The other is Prime Ministers Department P. Waytha Moorthy who has no B#*(!! . When Indians were arrested he remained silent. This was a political motive to put down DAP. He is a spineless, running away from Malaysia, collecting money all over the world-and now sitting in a cushy job doing nothing-USELESS Dumb leader. Syed Siddiq-is a juvenile, another Mahathir lackey. An insignificant number in the cabinet-inexperienced, unintelligent and a playboy. The whole lot should go . Maybe replace the Minister of Finance with a chinese because they know better about finance. All the Malays we had stile money from Malaysia.

    Posted 4 years ago by Muniandy Josep · Reply

  • well done dr Dzulkefli. God bless. am suprised ketapi scored so well..lost soul

    Posted 4 years ago by . . · Reply

  • The survey is right on target. Well done. Lets see PM has the guts to act

    Posted 4 years ago by Concerned Citizen · Reply

  • A smart PM and sincere leader that loves this country would have removed the poor performers months back. This PM thinks he is smart but by sitting on his hands he has revealed the fact that he only loves himself and is happy to surroud himself with weak ministers he can manipulate. Poor Azmin has been used thoroughly and Guan Eng too.

    Posted 4 years ago by BC Lim · Reply